Pasternak



United States Patent O 2,732,749 MALLEABLE smnr METAL nAsraNER TheodorePasternak, Detroit, Mich., assigner to Robert L. `Brown, Ferndale, Mich.

Application Getoher 14, 1953, Serial No. 335,965 1 Claim. (Cl. 85-38)This invention relates to a malleable sheet metal fastener and moreparticularly to improvements in a fastener disclosed in United StatesPatent 2,618,193 issued N- vember 18, 1952, to Roy E. Peckham, forsecuring panels together or a molding to a panel.

In that patent the fastener has a central bendable section withoppositely disposed engaging portions at opposite sides of the bendablesection whereby each pair of engaging portions are brought into holdingengagement with the panel by bending one pair of engaging portionstoward each other, the central portion being forced into the panelopening.

lt is an object of the present invention to provide inwardly turnedflanges on a pair of the engaging portions which engage the centralportion and are forced outwardly by the action of the central portionentering the opening in the panel when the fastener is applied.

A further object of the invention is to provide engaging portions on thepair of outwardly bent holding anges which engage the central portionwhen the fastener is applied by deformation, so that the outwardly bentholding flanges are held in their bent position by the central portion.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be more apparent fromthe following description taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings in which:

Fig. l is a cross sectional view through a pair of panels showing thefastener in side elevation and before it is deformed to its retainingposition;

Fig. 2 is a view corresponding to Fig. l showing the fastener bent toits retaining position;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the fastener before it is deformed.

Referring to the drawings, the fastener comprises a sheet metal stampingformed from malleable metal which may be permanently deformed asdistinguished from a spring steel metal which, when bent, will return toits normal position.

The fastener is formed from flat sheet material, cut to the desiredshape, and bent in suitable dies to its finished shape and form. Whennish formed there is provided a central body portion and diverging arms12 at substantially right angles to each other. The outer ends of thearms 12 are reversely bent upon the outer surface of the arms 12 to formarms 14 extending in converging relation toward the center of the body10. The arms 14 reinforce the arms 12 and terminate short of the apex 16to permit bending of the central portion at 16.

The outer free ends of the arms 14 are bent in spaced parallel relationextending away from the arms 12 and 14 forming projections 1S adaptedfor insertion in the openings O of the parts to be joined. Theprojections 1S are provided with inwardly turned flanges 20 therebetweenwhich engage the apex 16 of the central body portion 10.

The arms 12 and 14 project laterally beyond the side edges of thecentral portion 16, forming shoulders 22 for contact with the under sideof the panel with which the fastener is to be used. The laterallyextending shoulders further increase the rigidity of the arms 12 and 14and localize bending to the single thickness portion of the fastener atits central portion 16. If desired the 2,732,749 Patented Jan. 31, 1956shoulders 22 may be confined to either the inner arms 12 or the outerarms 14.

The fastener is formed to the shape shown in Fig. 1 and is adapted to beinserted through openings O in overlapping panels P. The fastener isinserted from the underside of the panels and the shoulders 22 limit theposition of the fastener by their engagement with the under surface ofthe panel. A suitable tool, such as a pair of pliers, is used to pinchthe two divergent arms, formed by the arms 12 and 14, toward each other.This action causes a bending of the weakened central section 16 and theprojections, fulcrumed on the surfaces of the bent central section, arebent away from each other in divergent relation into tight contact withthe inner Wall of the openings in the panels, as illustrated in Fig. 2.Since the projections 18 are divergent the outer surfaces contact theouter edge of the opening and urge the upper panel toward the lowerpanel, the latter being held by the shoulders 22.

When the fastener is assembled, the bending together. of the divergentarms causes the outer bending of the projections 18 which grip on theinner edge of the opening in the panel, and the weakened portion 16 isforced upwardly into the opening holding the arms in tight engagementwith the side walls of the opening.

The edges of the tapered surface of the shoulders 22 bite into the edgesof the opening in the under panel and prevent turning of the fastenerrelative to the panels. When the panels are comparatively thin, thetapered surface will deform the edge of the opening in the upper panelto cause the surface to engage the edge of the opening in the lowerpanel.

The central body portion 16 engages the ends of the inwardly turnedtianges 20 and the upward movement of the portion 16 into the openingsforces the flanges outwardly to thereby further assist in bending theflanges 18 over the edge of the opening in the upper panel and at thesame time locks the flanges 1S against returning Vto their originalposition.

It will be understood that the invention is not limited to the specificform of locking means herein shown as many variations may be made, and Ido not wish to limit the scope of the invention other than by the termsof the appended claim.

I claim:

A melleable fastener for insertion into a hole through a panel, saidfastener consisting of a single strip of sheet metal bent along atransverse line midway of an intermediate portion and having its endportions folded back to engage along the outer surfaces of theintermediate portion to provide two divergent arms of double thicknessand a pair of normally parallel arms extending beyond said intermediateportion for entering the hole through the panel, the outer portion ofthe length of said divergent arms having a width greater than the sizeof the panel opening, the intermediate portion, the end portionsadjacent said intermediate portion and said arms having a lesser widthto enter the hole through the panel, and forming a Y, each portion ofwhich is of double thickness and of a length slightly greater than thethickness of said panel, the outer ends of said parallel arms beingreversely bent toward each other and terminating in contact with thebend of said intermediate portion.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,336,162 Royer Apr. 6, 1920 2,618,193 Peckham Nov. 18, 1952 FOREIGNPATENTS 718,099 Germany Mar. 2, 1942

